Mass Animal Deaths: Timelines, Trends and Local Reports

As an increasing number of naturalists and conspiracy theorists try to make sense of the mass animal deaths reported on in recent weeks, so too is the average, unaffiliated citizen. Yet government scientists and mainstream media have not met the often speculative topic with the same intensity. It is difficult just to find an updated timeline on animal deaths from around the world.

Consequently, citizen journalists and social media, rather than investigative journalists, ecologists and epidemiologists, seem to be dictating the coverage -not limited to an updated timeline of animal deaths, unexplained animal death videos and tracking maps.

But do we really want to obtain information of potential global significance from BuzzFeed? Huffington Post, for instance, has a story on "Hundreds of Dead Birds in South Dakota Were Killed by U.S. Government (VIDEO)." It is a useful article to read, but a link in their feed following it, "Track Recent Mass Animal Deaths Using Google Maps," is from BuzzFeed.

For the uninitiated, a good portion of the site would qualify as mature in content even if the regular viewership is not. So kids and conservative (family-friendly) viewers should leave the room.

A better way is to track animal deaths directly from Google Maps. Each marker includes a sourced news story link, which is useful for obtaining additional information. For historical purposes, check the news timeline as well.

Elsewhere on the Internet, a Natural News writer opines about the subdued media coverage and has put up a timeline of bird and fish deaths, which so far has over 8,200 Facebook shares. Though many more animal species have been reported dead in recent weeks - from cows to buffalo to clams - birds and fish deaths reports have been the most noted.

In addition to respected citizen journalism sites like Digital Journal and Allvoices, a good place for finding out the latest news on animal deaths is as close as a local news website or associated blog.

Some of the best reporting is found locally or regionally, be it in Arkansas (where the initial reports of mass fish deaths arose) or Boston.

Think local when searching government sites as well. Since no widespread public health threat has been established and new animal deaths may have epidemiological significance to a particular area, local health departments can be the most reliable and timely.

Michigan is an example of a robust state government site. In their emergent disease section, there is a note to the public stating that routine testing for West Nile Virus has been stopped due to budget cuts.

This raises the issue of the economy.

It is one thing if the lack of mainstream media reporting and public statements by government officials is due to prudence, but quite another if it is due to poverty. Meanwhile, citizen journalism carries the load and, aside from the opportunists, that might not be a bad thing. Just check the source first.

Sources:

http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192----S,00.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/hundreds-of-dead-birds-in_n_811709.html

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2040762,00.html#ixzz1BgsfSUVr